Duran Duran: Notorious - Tapa dura

They recently scooped the Outstanding Contribution to Music award at the Brits, MTV's Lifetime Achievement award, played sell-out stadium gigs in the US, UK and Japan, and secured coveted features in such style and music magazines as Rolling Stone, Vogue, Esquire and The Face...not bad for a band whose famed peaked during the '80s. At that time almost every girl on the planet had a favourite band member - usually John Taylor who frequently topped the 'world's sexiest man' polls. Boys thought their punk roots, state-of-the-art videos and hedonistic behaviour was cool. And their self-penned, self-performed songs which captivated audiences, assured them a string of no. 1 hits. Never before has a biography documented their remarkable story from their humble beginnings at the Rumrunner club in Birmingham - then fronted by Stephen Duffy who will speak exclusively to the author - their rise to fame and enviable rock 'n' roll lifestyle touring the world and partying with supermodels, their split in 1985, to the ensuing drug addictions, alcoholism, periods in rehab, nervous breakdowns, and Simon le Bon's near-death experience when his boat overturned during the Fastnet yacht race in 1985. Now after the fashion disasters, battles with age, weight and hair gel, the original line-up has reformed. A new album 'Astronaut' is being released, followed by a world tour. Influencing such bands as The Strokes, and aligning themselves with established bands such as U2, the Chili Peppers and the Stones, Duran Duran's passion for music will allow them to add a brand new chapter to their already spectacular career. Notorious will undoubtedly be one of the most colourful, gripping and highly entertaining music biographies published in 2005.

Steve Malins is also author of Gary Numan's authorised autobiography and biographies on Depeche Mode, Paul Weller and Radiohead. He was a contributing editor for Q Magazine for five years and has also written for The Sunday Times, Time Out and Vox. He's also worked on three Gary Numan albums and with other artists such as Siouxsie and the Banshees.